Summer at the Burrow
by MaybeMeganRuth
Summary: Hermione spends her first summer at the Burrow and realizes something about Ron she didn't expect. Hr/R
1. Arrival to the Burrow

Summer at the Burrow

Author's Note: It came to a vote and Summer at the Burrow won, this story is a tale about Hermione's first stay at the Burrow. She comes to realize Ron means more to her than she expected. Set after the Prisoner of Askaban and before the Goblet of Fire. Hermione/Ron. Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, that honor goes to J.K. Rowling.

I was frantically throwing things into my trunk to finish packing. I was leaving today to visit with Ron and the rest of the Weasley clan. The Quidditch World Cup is in a week and Mr. Weasley invited Harry and I to go along. Only being home for a month, I realized how much I missed magic, Hogwarts, Harry and Ron. I've even finished all my summer assignments which won't make Ron to happy because I promised him that we would do it together once I made it to the Burrow.

I had never stayed at the Burrow before, never stayed in a magical home before either. I was excited to get there, see what else the magical world had in store for me. At last as I placed my summer assignments in my trunk, I was done packing. I sighed, looking around my nearly empty room. It was lonely here. No Ron or Harry. No Hogsmeade. No Quidditch matches. No tea in the afternoon with Hadgrid. Every summer, my home felt less than my home. I felt out of place here.

Thumping down the stairs, I made my way to the kitchen. My Mum and Dad were looking through a copy of the Daily Prophet which I thought would make them feel closer to the magical world that I loved so much.

"You ready to go dear?" My Mum asked, placing her cup of tea on the counter.

"Whenever you are." My Dad stood and gave my a tight squeeze.

"Minny, you be the brightest witch you can be this year." My Dad had always called me Minny since I started primary school. A tradition, I am glad he keeps even if he doesn't get to see me off each day like he used to. "I'm sorry I can take you to the Leaky Cauldron and see you off." I understood, he had patients to attend to this morning.

"I love you Dad." I tightened my grip around him before wheeling my trunk to the car.

We reached the ever so familiar Leaky Cauldron in no time at all. The Leaky Cauldron gave any the shivers with its blackened windows and mold ridden black wood paneling, it would give anyone the sense to turn around and walk away. The building loomed over the rest of the street, but was slanted so terribly that it looked as if with one large gust of wind, it would topple over.

"Hermione, did you remember everything? Do you have your jumper? Your wand? Have you got enough money to be alright?" Mum's questions spilled out of her mouth in a flurry.

"Yes, yes, of course, yes, and don't worry I am your daughter after all." Smiling, she gave my a hug with enough force to crack a rib. "I love you Mum, I'll write." With that I rolled my trunk into the Leaky Cauldron.

Much like the exterior, the interior of the Leaky Cauldron wasn't all too inviting. Witches and wizards sat cloaked in dark, dank corners. Leering and sneering as I rolled my trunk further into the pub. At least Mr. Weasley was sitting there with a warm smile, waiting for me.

"If it isn't Hermione Granger! Ready for the World Cup?" My head bobbed in agreement. "Well you'll have to wait till next week, for now the Burrow is more than ready for your arrival." He escorted me to the fireplace. With emerald green flames engulfing us, we left the Leaky Cauldron behind and welcomed the Burrow.

The Burrow was brilliant, pots and pans moved about the kitchen washing and putting themselves away, knitting needles looped and threaded itself as it knitted the next Weasley jumper, and cakes and sweets were covering themselves in icing and sprinkles. It was magical and in the middle of the fantastic madness, Mrs. Weasley stood. "Mrs. Weasley, I brought you a surprise!" She turned around, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Oh, Hermione, you are finally here! Ron hasn't stopped talking about you or your visit since he got home from school!" She hugged me with as much force as my mother.

"Really, Mum, let the girl breath." She released me and there stood Ron, a grin across his freckled face and a blush to match. I went to hug him, he had grown since I had last seen him. His hair was still the same fiery red, but he let it grow shaggy and hang in his eyes. He also grew into his face, his ears and nose finally looked like they belong, his boyish cheeks smaller and his chin more pronounced. Not to mention his change in height, he had to grow at least a foot since school and most of all his baby fat had disappeared and was replaced by lean muscle. I felt blush creep across my own face and I released him.

"Ron, you are so tall now." That was all I could say without my blush deepening.

"Hermione look at you!" It was true, I too had changed after school let out. I finally took a brush to my bushy mane, not that it was easy to control it. I eventually had to try my hand at some smoothing concoction. My hair was considerably smaller now, but I had to keep up the maintenance or risk having a bushy mop of hair. I also grew taller not as noticeable as Ron's height and I didn't have a baby face anymore, I was starting to look like a "young lady" as my Dad would say.

"Why don't you take Hermione up to her room?" Mrs. Weasley went back to her kitchen and the wonders she was making.

"When is Harry getting here?" I asked as Ron started up the stairs with my trunk.

"Harry won't be here till a day before the World Cup." My ears burned to hear this. This meant Ron and I would be alone for a week.

"Where is Ginny, Fred and George?" I noticed that there was no one else around.

"They are outside playing Quidditch." He pulled the trunk up further, the stairs turning about the vast house.

"Why aren't you playing?" I helped him get my trunk up the last few steps.

"I wanted to wait till you got here." My face turned red, but it went unnoticed due to Ron's own red face.

Author's Note: I am going to stop here, because I have decided this will be a multiple chapter story. Lots of cute Romione moments to come, I'll post a new chapter soon.


	2. The Endless Closet

The Endless Closet

Ron's newly made muscles stretched as he lifted the cumbersome luggage onto the bed adjacent to Ginny's bed. "Thank you, I know it is too heavy." He chuckled, light and full heartily. "You know me, have I ever been known to travel light?" I joined in the laughter. I noted how his freckled covered nose scrunched when he laughed, how his eyes became two shades of lighter blue when he was happy or excited, and how he would run his hand through his shaggy red hair. He was a sight to behold, my cheeks grew rosy when he caught my eye. "I have something to tell you." He sat on Ginny's bed, leaning back on his elbows. I unlatched my trunk and gathered all my assignments I finished. "I was bored." He pushed himself off of his elbows and tabbed through my countless pages of essays and notes.

"I suspected you would." I proceeded to move next Ron.

"I can still do the assignments with you. It would be fun, see if I missed out on anything. Oh, I could be your tutor!" Ron grimaced and I could tell he wasn't to thrilled to have me teach him anything. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"Only if I can teach you something." I put the pieces of parchment on the bedside table, reaching across me in the process, he smelled of spices and cinnamon from helping in the kitchen with his mother. The scent was bewitching to me. I fanned my face, the room became a bit warm.

"What would you teach me?" I stopped airing myself after he repositioned himself in his seat.

"How about something extremely difficult that we Weasley's are masters of, catching Prismate bugs." Giving him a small smile, I agreed.

"I'd love to learn." He grinned boyishly cute before standing up.

"You're lessons start tonight. I'm going to see if Mum has any jars we can use." After he exiting the room, in my excitement I danced all over the room. Laughter filled the small room and for a second I thought it might be Ron. Embarrassment was evident on my once pale face as I turned a scarlet red. To my relief it was Ginny, who happened to adorn a very smug smile across her own freckled face. I stepped down from my bed from which I had been bouncing.

"Oh hello, Ginny." I brushed a stray strand of hair from my face behind my ear.

"Hermione! When did you get here?" She embraced me, her smirk still quite large on her face.

"Oh about ten minutes ago." I stared very intently to my toes.

"Really? Why didn't you come see me as soon as you arrived?" She continued to tease relentlessly. I twisted a strand of hair till it was a curl.

"Ron was helping me bring my trunk up. It would have been rude to leave it in the middle of the living room, right?" She shrugged and sat opposite of me on her bed. Ginny reminded me so much of Ron, her room was all Holyhead Harpies. From ceiling to floor, much like Ron's room, but his was Chudley Cannons. Posters of her favorite players, zooming through her room from poster to poster giving the appearance of an actual game. Though I wasn't a huge fan of Quidditch, Ginny's room was very welcoming and inviting. It had a calming effect, though the movement never stopped.

"Hermione? Did you hear me?" I refocused my attention to Ginny.

"Hmm? What were you saying?"

"I asked you if you had a thing for Ron, but then you went all dreamy eyes." I was shocked, was I that obvious?

"Certainly not! Me and Ronald? No way." Though I denied it profusely, my cheeks betrayed me.

"Sure." She laughed before crossing out of the room. I sighed heavily, before exiting the room myself. The Burrow was bustling now, since everyone had returned from playing Quidditch. I graciously greeted the rest of the clan, Fred and George gave me a quick squeeze before going back to their notebook of notes, whispering away in the corner of the living room. Mrs. Weasley handed me a homemade pumpkin pastry and a mug of cauldron cocoa. Thanking her I tried to find a spare seat, Mr. Weasley had converted the kitchen table into a work shop, tinkering away on an old television from the 1950s. Ginny seemed to be in the same mindset because she had gone to repairing her broom on the coffee table. I bobbed and weaved through the crowded living space and decided on a seat on the staircase. It was safe enough. I sipped at the toasty cocoa, the hot chocolate spreading through my veins, warming me up immensely. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ron rummaging through the nearby cupboard. A pile of trinkets was beginning to form next to him, he seemed to be having trouble locating something.

"Ron? What are you looking for?" He turned to the sound of my voice, his face covered in dust of the forgotten items in the cupboard.

"The jars. Mum said they were in the cupboard." I placed my pastry and cocoa down on the stair and went to sneak a peek. The closet was vast, bigger than any closet I had ever seen. The shelves were crowded with magical trinkets and tools. Baby clothing and handmade toys. I touched a wooden soldier on the shelve which had collected years and years of dust.

"Why does your mum keep all this stuff?" I asked, lifting the soldier from the shelf. I dusted the wooden toy off. It had a worn painted face, faded red hair and blue uniform. There craved in the feet of the soldier was 'Ronald Weasley.'

"She likes to keep everything, in case of a rainy day. I used to play with this soldier everyday, my Dad use to enchant it to march around the house. That's why I craved my name on the feet, it would get lost so easily but you know by the end of the day, it always found its way back to me." He put the soldier back on the shelf with a small soldier. I pointed to a box on the shelf labelled 'Weasley Photos.'

"May I see?" Ron lifted the box down and lead me to the staircase before placing the box down.

"I warn you, it is mostly Mum and Dad during school. There might be a few pictures of us as babies." I opened the box eagerly. Yellow and faded pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiling at Honeydukes, Zonko's Joke Shop, and drinking butterbeer with remnants of the froth on their lips. It was images of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley but all you could see was their children's faces in theirs. Nearing the end of the box, we reached the baby photos of all of the Weasley children. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, Ginny, and Ron. Little Ron was adorable, he was chasing after his older brothers around the yard. He was in tears but the best thing was he was only in his underwear. Fred and George were flying around on their toy brooms with his clothing in hand, bouncing off the ground just far enough where Ron couldn't get them.

"Oh Ron, you are too cute in this picture!" Ron was blushing.

"You should see this one." He continued to hand me photos of him and his siblings. We looked through all the photos till Mrs. Weasley called us to dinner. "After this we catch the Prismate bugs!"


End file.
